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» THE ROLE OF IRAN IN RELATIONS BETWEEN KAZAKHSTAN AND THE GULF COUNTRIES: HISTORICAL ANALYSIS

Zh. Zhengis Head of Iranian Studies of Faculty of Oriental Studies Al-Farabi Kazakh National university A. Dyab al-Nouimat Student of 1 year study master’s degree of Oriental Studies Faculty of Oriental Studies Al-Farabi Kazakh National university

THE ROLE OF IRAN IN RELATIONS BETWEEN KAZAKHSTAN AND THE GULF COUNTRIES: HISTORICAL ANALYSIS

«edu.e-history.kz» электрондық ғылыми журналы
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In the foreign policy of Kazakhstan Asian region occupies an important place, being not only a strategic partner, but also a region which has a centuries-old cultural and historical trade and economic ties with Kazakhstan. Conventionally, there are several key countries and regions with which our republic cooperates: Iran and the Arab countries.
The article points out that Iran is one of Kazakhstan's important international partners of strategic importance. In turn, as a former Conservative and reformist current leadership of this country we have always regarded our country as an important region of the Middle East, which plays a special role in the system of international relations in the world, occupies an important place in the foreign policy direction of Kazakhstan.
Shiite Iran relations with the Arab countries, mostly Sunni, are determined not only by political and economic interests, but also of the component, which is referred to as the Islamic spiritual tradition. This problem in the article is considered in several planes.
Iran is trying, not without success, to develop multilateral relations with the Arab Sunni world, using primarily its strong economic potential, strongly emphasizing their commitment to Islamic unity in all its diversity and reasonable obscuring underlying sectarian protivorechiya.Osobennosti economic development of countries in the region, Based on the development of the predominantly oil sector, the high role of religious (Islamic) and ethnic factors - all this leads to the fact that the line odorazdela between the countries of the region runs along the axes of "the enemy of the West and the United States - an ally of the West and the United States", "Shia-Sunni", "Arab Israelis".

Мазмұны:

The global influence of
the Arab countries on the world economy and interest from the world community
is due primarily to the presence of significant reserves of natural mineral raw
materials in the region, the resources of this region can meet the growing
demand for energy raw materials in world markets.
Arab companies and investment funds are looking for new markets to use their
money. At present, Kazakhstan is in the zone of their interests. Arab
businessmen already finance construction, invest in hotel business, technology,
communications, construction industry, banking assets.
Kazakhstan has the opportunity to expand its presence in the region and the
markets of North Africa and the Arab countries of the Gulf:
Between the economies of Kazakhstan and the countries of the Gulf, many
common tasks are to diversify the economy and escape from commodity dependence.
In this direction, considerable efforts have been made in the Arab region at
the moment, and more than 60 percent of the economy today is a non-primary
sector. In recent years, the construction industry, the development of
communications, information technology and the banking sector have become
noticeably brisk.

The countries of
the Gulf, which have the largest
hydrocarbon reserves, are not exclusively suppliers of raw materials. It can
not be said that the share of oil and gas in the structure of production and
exports of individual countries is dominant. For example, the UAE has the most
diversified structure of the economy. According to IMF experts, 70% of GDP and
about 50% of UAE exports are not related to the extraction and processing of
energy resources. In Qatar and Kuwait, the share of the non-power sector in
production and exports is 50% and 52% respectively, and in exports 9% and 25%,
respectively [1].
Arabs aspire to Kazakhstan, they, like Kazakhstan, are interested in
investment opportunities, issues of bilateral relations, the situation in the
Middle East region and other international topics.

Today, the Republic of
Kazakhstan, still depends on foreign investment to increase the volume of
hydrocarbon exploration, development and production organization in large
fields. Kazakhstan plans to establish two large private equity funds with
partners from the UAE and Bahrain.
In recent years, Arab countries are very active in Kazakhstan at large
petrochemical facilities. Saudi Arabia offers not only its investments in
Kazakhstan, but also is ready to promote their attraction from other countries
of the Arab world. There is great potential for cooperation in agriculture,
transport and tourism.

In this situation, the
strengthening of economic cooperation with the countries of the Arab region is
promising and mutually beneficial, creates prerequisites for diversifying the
economy and foreign economic relations, optimizing foreign trade relations in
the region, expanding economic influence and ensuring the stability of the
national economic system as a whole.
At the present stage, the countries of the Middle and Middle East have a
powerful political, business and intellectual potential. In the international
energy balance system, the countries of this region occupy a special place,
which allowed them to create the largest financial and economic centers that
exert a significant influence on the geopolitical alignment of forces in the
modern world.
Since gaining independence, Kazakhstan has sought to establish friendly
relations with the countries of the Middle and Middle East, demonstrating
intentions for the closest interaction. Kazakhstan sees them as promising partners
in economic, political and cultural terms, as all necessary preconditions and
conditions for mutual understanding and cooperation have been formed between
the RK and the states of these regions. The process of establishing diplomatic
relations between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the countries of the Middle
and Middle East covered the time span of 1992-1999.One of the key positions in the
political and economic life of the Middle East is the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
(KSA), which is the largest exporter of energy resources and the custodian of
the shrines of the Islamic religion.

Bilateral
cooperation between Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia in the trade and economic
sector has considerable potential. It should be noted that KSA has impressive
investment opportunities and shows interest in implementing large
infrastructure projects in Kazakhstan. In addition, the leaders of the two
countries are trying to create optimal conditions for establishing active
contacts between the business circles of Kazakhstan and the KSA in the sphere
of trade and finance.

Kazakhstan's
relations with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are developing dynamically and
fruitfully. It should be noted that for Kazakhstan, the UAE is one of the most
promising partners among the countries of the Arab East. Significant investment
opportunities allow Abu Dhabi to finance the construction of various complexes
and projects on the territory of Kazakhstan, including Aktau-City in the
Caspian and Abu Dhabi Plaza in Astana. Proceeding from this, the RK is in favor
of intensifying interstate cooperation, as well as increasing contacts between
the entrepreneurs of the two countries.

Relations
between Kazakhstan and the State of Qatar also contribute to strengthening of
investment cooperation of the RK with the countries of the Gulf. Having signed
a joint communiqué in July 1993, Kazakhstan and Qatar officially established
diplomatic relations.

During the
official visits of President N. Nazarbayev to Qatar in 1998 and 2007, as well
as the return visit of Emir Qatar to Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani to
Astana in 1999, the leaders of the two states discussed the strengthening of
bilateral agreements and the possibility of developing economic and cultural-
Humanitarian cooperation.

It should be
noted that Doha attaches great importance to the development of relations with
Astana and encourages the private sector of Qatar to interact with Kazakhstani
partners. To date, the ROK and Qatar are striving to give new impetus to
interstate relations, expanding cooperation in such areas as oil and gas,
education, health, agriculture, tourism and sport. In its relations with the
countries of the Middle and Middle East, the Republic of Kazakhstan aims to
develop a permanent dialogue and regular consultations on a wide range of
international and regional issues. At the same time, it should be noted that
the activation of Astana's cooperation with Muslim states meets the long-term
interests of the RK and is one of the priorities of the country's foreign
policy [1].

The countries
of the Islamic world perceive Kazakhstan as a reliable partner and leader in
the Central Asian region, considering the ROK as an inseparable part of the
Muslim community. This is why the countries of the Arab East welcome
Kazakhstan's participation in such structures as the Organization of the
Islamic Conference and the Islamic Development Bank, and also provide
comprehensive support to the foreign policy initiatives of the Republic of
Kazakhstan on convening CICA, the Congress of World and Traditional Religions,
and the holding of a dialogue in the format "Muslim World-West."

Realization
of large investment projects - in energy, infrastructure, tourism, food sector,
banking, metallurgy and other sectors - will raise the relationship between the
Republic of Kazakhstan and the countries of the Middle and Middle East to a new
level.

In recent
years, Iran has made serious efforts to establish and expand trade and economic
relations with the states of Central Asia. It is obvious, for example, that the
closest way for the commodity flows of the Central Asian republics and
Afghanistan to the European and Asian markets lies through the territory of the
Islamic Republic of Iran and then to Turkey or to the coast of the Gulf, which allows these countries, despite
the US opposition, Commodity supplies through the territory of Iran [2, 24].

The largest
trade and economic partner of Iran in Central Asia is Kazakhstan. Today
hundreds of Iranian companies operate in Kazakhstan, trade and industrial
exhibitions that advertise Iranian goods are held constantly. In the Kazakh
stores are sold Iranian clothing, food, building materials, oil products.
Kazakhstan exports livestock products and raw materials to Iran. At the same
time, the main item of Kazakh exports is crude oil, which, in the amount of
approximately 1 million tons, is transported to the ports of Iran in the
Caspian Sea by the SWAP system, with subsequent delivery to local oil
refineries. In return, Kazakhstan receives a similar amount of oil, but already
in the ports of the Gulf for further
transportation to world markets [3,36]. At present, the competent authorities of the two
countries are working on the idea of ​​laying a direct pipeline from Kazakhstan
to Iran through the territory of Turkmenistan. It is clear that if this idea is
realized, the supply of Kazakh oil to Iran will increase substantially and
Kazakhstan will be able to sell its oil in the rapidly developing markets of
India and East Asia. At the same time, it should be noted that already today
Kazakhstan has a positive balance in trade with its Iranian partner.

Today, the
nature of the most acute conflicts in the Arab East and the basic parameters
for their settlement are to a large extent determined by Iran's policy in this
strategically important region of the world. Regardless of the nature of the
political regime in Iran, Tehran has traditionally sought to consolidate its
positions in the Arab East, based primarily on purely pragmatic considerations
for ensuring its national interests and national security.

In the
context of aggravation of religious confrontation in the Middle East, Arab
states with the majority of Sunni population fear Tehran's opportunities to
directly engage in dialogue with the Shiite minority in their territories and
related organizations. This is especially dangerous in the conditions of the
rise of the Shiite movement in the Arab countries after the overthrow of the
regime of S. Hussein in Iraq. Satisfied with a previously subordinate position
in public and political life, today the Shiite communities seek to gain access
to the governance of the state following the example of Iraq, where the Shiites
occupy a leading position. But Shiite communities in the Arab countries will
succeed only with the support of Iran. It was this circumstance that dictated
the recent appeals of the Egyptian President H. Mubarak to the loyalty of the
Shiite organizations in the Arab countries to the local authorities [4,12].

The
difference between the Shiite minority and the Sunni majority in the Arab world
is an important element determining the relations of the Arabs and the Iranians
today. Confessional contradictions in the region have always served as a tool
for provoking political conflicts between the Arab countries and Iran. With
regard to the Shiite communities, Iran pursues a policy of rallying them around
Tehran in order to ensure its foreign policy, as well as the solution of energy
tasks. This, above all, concerns the Shiites of Iraq, Lebanon, Arab monarchies
of the Gulf, Afghanistan, Yemen and
Azerbaijan. It is characteristic that it is on the territory of these
countries, where the percentage of Shiites is quite large, are one of the
world's largest hydrocarbon reserves. These are the districts of Khuzistan, the
Caspian, Basra, Azerbaijan, El-Hassa, and Bahrain. The priority task of the
Islamic Republic of Iran is to unite the Shiite population under the aegis of
Iran. Today Shiites in this region make up about 11% of all Muslims. But Iran
alone is unlikely to manage to lead in these areas, and especially in the Gulf,
so it seeks to acquire allies from the Arab countries, and above all, it is
Syria and Iraq [5,11]

The leaders
of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, who consider themselves and their countries as the main
players in the region, regard Iran's Middle East policy as a threat to its
influence and stability in the Arab East, express particular concern about the
active policy of Iran in the region. The countries of the GCC together with
Egypt and Jordan are trying to create a common military shield against Iran,
especially in conditions of weakening of Iraq.

Iran's activities in the Middle East are determined by a number of
important factors that have a significant impact on its foreign policy. This is
Iran's support for the Shiite organization Hezbollah, which he uses to
strengthen his influence in Lebanon and as a deterrent to Israel. Iran is
involved in the inter-Palestinian and Palestinian-Israeli conflicts. The
Palestinian problem is one of the key places in the foreign policy of the
Islamic Republic of Iran. Iran provides assistance and support to the Palestinian
"Hamas". Iran's influence on the events in Iraq has expanded due to
its relationship with the Shiite community in that country. The Iranian
leadership is satisfied with the victory in the elections in Iraq of the Shiite
majority. It stands for the preservation of the current regime of power in
Iraq, hoping, thus, to strengthen there the dominant positions of the Shiite
forces. Iran has significantly expanded its ties with Syria in various areas
and actually achieved a strategic alliance with that country. Noteworthy in
this regard is the visit of Iranian President Ahmedinejad to Damascus in July
2007. An important goal of the talks was the development of joint actions in
response to US attempts to isolate both countries in the international arena. A
special concern of the Syrian and Iranian leadership is the situation in
Lebanon associated with the presidential elections.

The
confrontation between the government and parliamentary majority not only did
not ease after the war with Israel in the summer of 2006, but even more
intensified as the uncertainty over the long months about the choice of the
president of the country grew. Ahmadinejad's visit to the UAR in 2007, his
talks with Bashar Assad and meetings with the leadership of Lebanon's Hezbollah
and Palestinian Hamas overturned all the calculations that Damascus could start
withdrawing from Iran or could weaken the level of its relations with Tehran. 3
Similar considerations have been expressed in a number of publications by the
United States and Israel, as well as Saudi Arabia and Egypt, which have made
great efforts to destroy this alliance [6,13].

Therefore,
to date, Iran's relations with its Arab neighbors remain quite tense. And
without significant concessions on both sides, one can hardly hope for their
improvement. The Iranian leadership understands the whole danger of isolation
from the Arab world. It is not by chance that the official Iranian
representatives seek to establish relations with the Arabs. Iran is ready to
help economically and politically the Iraqi leadership to prevent a split in
the country. Ahmedinejad appealed to the Saudi monarch with a proposal to
establish joint work to restore Iraq.

Tehran seeks
to become a party to the new post-war order in the Middle East. The Arab countries
could not fail to understand that, in the event of an attack by the United
States on Iran, the main part of the fighting could also come to the territory
of these countries. This can lead to serious destabilization of their domestic
political situation and cause a series of social revolutions and coups.
The conflict between Arabs and Iranians originates from the time of the Arab
conquest of Iran in the middle of the 7th century, although before that the
present Middle East was under the rule of the Iranian shahinshakhs for
centuries. Islam in Iran was not propagated by preaching. The struggle of the
Iranians against the Umayyad caliphate (661-750), and then Abbasid (750-1258),
contributed to the spread of Shiism in Iran, which for many centuries was the
national liberation movement of the Iranians against the Arab, Turkic and
Mongolian domination, the result Which was the revival of the Iranian Empire
under the Safavid dynasty (1501 - 1774). Safavid Shah Ismail I (1501-1524)
proclaimed the Shiite sense of Islam as the state religion of Iran, which led
to a war with the Sunni states of the Ottomans and Uzbeks in the west and east
of Iran, respectively. Just from that time, the centuries-old conflict between
Shiites and Sunnis begins.

The
President of Kazakhstan spoke in favor of a dialogue between Tehran and the
Arab countries. "Kazakhstan is convinced that the tension in Iran's
relations with some Arab countries can be eliminated through dialogue,"
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev said during an official visit to Tehran
in April 2016.